The 4th International Conference on Nonwovens for High-performance Applications, Cannes

by gruppo x di x gruppo, Via delle Industrie 25-8, 30175 Venice-Italy, +39 041 5093431, www.gruppox.it

p a p e r m o r p h o s i s ® h i g h l y e n g i n e e r e d p a p e r

innovative paper technology for highly

stretchable paper, novel longitudinally

corrugated layers and their potential

use for non wovens

why stretch in paper?

ecology and sustainability, materials of

renewable sources are getting more

important…

which materials could paper compete with if it

was highly stretchable?

which existing papers could be improved if one

could add customized stretch in cross and/or

machine direction, where needed?

… and what does this have to do with non

wovens?

what is stretch in paper?

machine direction (MD) cro

ss d

ire

ctio

n (

CD

)

fibers are oriented, due to the material flow in the production process, in MD.

The elongation possibilities are low (about 1,5%-3%). CD elongation instead,

due to the spaces between fibers is naturally higher and can arrive from 2,5%

to about maximum 8%, according to raw material, degree of refining and

drying

20%

20%

45% 25%

high stretch: 3D deformations in paper

packaging

deco foil for furniture

take-away

paper comes in reels, can be processed on standard machinery for plastics

high stretch: 3D paper based composites

for products with all sorts

of coatings

embossed corrugated boxes

novel 3D structures for corrugates

getting technical

high stretch in either

direction but also

isotropy… on high or

low levels

the higher stretch the

higher the increase of

tensile energy

adsorption (TEA)

reproducing standard stretch in sack paper

with Low Consistency instead of costly High C

consistency refining…

improving stretch performance on standard

grades where long virgin fiber is not available or

expensive, even on recycling grades

saving costs for raw materials blending with less

expensive fibers while maintaining standard

stretch

customized stretch in paper

trying to make the best possible paper out of

the pourest fibers

customized stretch in paper

Cost 100% long virgin fibre 600 €/ton

General costs 200 €/ton

Tot 800 €/ton = 56.000.000 € cost

Cost 90% long virgin fibre 540 €/ton

Cost 10% recycling fibre 30 €/ton

General cost 200 €/ton

Tot 770 €/ton = 53.900.000 € cost

= 2.100.000 € saving

Cost 50% long virgin fibre 300 €/ton

Cost 50% recycling fibre 150 €/ton

General costs 200 €/ton

Tot 650 €/ton = 45.550.000 cost

=10.450.000 € saving

…. saving costs for raw materials or refining,

…. even though not visible for a final customer…

Example of an Italian paper mill for sack paper: production 70.000 ton/year of paper of pure virgin long fibre.

Our system allows to partially substitute long vergin fibre with recycling fiber, maintaining standard elongation

a novel mechanical process…

tailor-made combination of CD and MD-

stretch, also symmetrical

CD-stretch on demand up to 25%

MD-stretch on demand up to over 50%

increased trim width(2,3,4%) and stiffness

in CD by pre-enlarging the fibrous web

novel papers for taditional flute

novel longitudinal corrugate

… for all papers (long and short fiber,

bagasse, recycling grades etc)

installation at RISE Stockholm

CD unit MD unit

use of the standard available width

different paper grades can be produced

and then treated on the units

stretch on demand can be tuned

according to product needs

MD – unit operated at 65-85% dry content

CD – unit operated at about 40% dry content

the pilot units at the pilot facility

CD unit

XXL mode:

generation of up

to 20% stretchability

on top of the base

paper properties

FIXX mode:

prestretching of a

paper web of 2,3 4% for

recuperating trim width

lost to drying

gain in stiffness in CD-

direction MD unit

MD and some CD stretch

novel flute in MD

CD compacting

CD enlarging

WELLIXX – novel corrugate in MD

stable wave without liner

no web shrinking (ingoing

width = outgoing width) wave aligned with natural

fiber orientation

continuous process can be rolled up

no need of cross

directional strechable paper

many combination

possibilities to other layers

can be produced in-line

the paper machine, or

off-line at the converter

traditional corrugate ….

in traditional corrugate, material is gathered in machine direction and

formed into waves in cross direction. The waves are hold in place by glueing

on at least one liner

(2 layers)

(1 layer)

novel corrugate in MD….

in the Papermorphosis-process any

standard paper comes out as a stable

wave without the need to be fixed via

glued on liner. no gathering of material

occurs.

close-up on less material consumption

in traditional corrugate

1 m² = 1 m² + 40%, 50% etc according to wave size

in the novel longitudinal corrugate

1 m² = 1 m²

The novel longitudinal

flute WELLIXX is made

out of standard

papers

NO stretchable paper

or pretreatment for

stretchability is

needed

retro fitted in-line a paper machine….

wet end press section

papermorphosis

65% - 85% dry

content

drying section

papers at 65%-

85% dry content

papermorphosis

or off-line a paper machine

drying

stretchable

papers

longitudinal

corrugate

stretchable

papers

longitudinal

corrugate

more effects of our processes: TEA … always according to intensity of treatment

Tensile Energy Absorption (TEA) increases in

treated paper respect to the base paper, the

paper can “do more work” before it breaks

Ten

sile

str

ess

Strain

µXRay Computer Tomography on treated

and reference paper

treated

reference

bulkiness increases….

strength and stiffness

our processes are purely mechanical and,

according to intensity of treatment, they have

an impact on strength and stiffness.

this impact can range from neglectible to

high.

trials have shown that our process has much

better outcomes in terms of remaining strength,

is more gentle respect to tradtional creeping when it comes to imparting stretch in machine

direction

lab trial on additivation a lab trial with our CD-process has encouraged the idea of

additivating or pigmentating a web locally, off the wet end

or a size-press, but arriving to the very center of a web

a finnish hand sheet was sprayed with pigment solution, pressed and dried

another finnish hand sheet was sprayed with the same pigment solution,

treated with the CD-process , pressed and dried

Renewable fibres (Flax, Hemp, Jute, Kenaf, Bast, Coconut, Palm, Ramie, Sisal, Pina, Banana /Abaca, Lilien, Mulberry bast/Kozo, Salago, Wood-chips, Cotton, Wool, Hair, Neptune grass…) Synthetic fibres (Viscose, Rayon, PES, CoPES, PA 6, PP, Polyacrylic, Aramide, Nylon…) Binding fibres (PVA, Cotton-Polyester, Bi component fibres…), High-tech fibres (C-Glass, E-Glass, Quarzglass, Microglass, Rockwool, Basalt Metal fibres(Titan, Stainless-Steel), Waste and recycling fibres(Textiles, Leather, Shear-dust, Carpet fibres, ... ) source: Pill Nassvliestechnik

a process from the paper world for

non wovens?

many synthetic fiber based non

wovens do already present

elongation proterties

which composites can profit from a

novel process for imparting stretch to

materials from sustainable resources,

in a purely mechanical way?

Which synthetic elastic fibers could

be replaced? ?

tests on non wovens with the MD unit

tests have been made on synthetic non wovens

in a dry state

whereas stretch was not an issue, bulk, fluffiness

and softness increased

reference

dry treated

paper technology for non wovens?

cellulosics are getting more and more

important also for wipes….

the wet-laid technology as well….

maybe the Papermorphosis-technology can

be of help when it comes to wet or even dry

treatments of fibrous webs for:

fluffiness ?

absorbency ?

elongation before rupture ?

substitution of costly fibers or additives ?

gruppo x di x gruppo

is specialized in stretch in papers,

patents its proper innovations

develops them

licenses patents, know how, technology

thanks for your attention!

about ourselves